3 billion have mobile phones -- half the world's population -- and not a single one is an iPhone

There are big-number stories and then there are big-number stories.

This one from Reuters is huge.

According to the story, a report from UK-based industry watchers The Mobile World says this year we will see the worldwide number of mobile phone subscriptions reach an astonishing 3.25 billion - or roughly half the world's population.

To put that number in perspective: Apple's Steve Jobs has said he expects to sell 10 million iPhones in the next 18 months - a veritable drop in the bucket.

Other fun facts from the report released today:

More than 1,000 new mobile phone customers are added every minute.

The first billion subscribers took 20 years; the next billion only 40 months; the third just 24.

Europe has more mobile phone accounts than people.

All in a couple of decades. It seems unlikely that we will see a communications revolution of this magnitude again in our lifetimes.

• Wireless / Mobile
• Apple
• iPhone